Valve-stem housing.



' W. E. BLAIR.

VALVE STEM HOUSING.

APPLICATION FILED 11:11.12, 1912.

Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

...si @I UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. BLAIR, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO BUFFALO GASOLENE MOTOR COl\,.[1?A.`L\l' `Y,I YOF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VALVE-STEM .HOUSINGL To all whom it may concern.' l

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. BLAIR, a citizen of the United States, residin'gal Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements'in Valve-Stem Housings, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to means for proteeting the valve guides and the valve stems of explosion and other engines or machines so as to exclude dirt or grit from. these guides and stems and prevent undue wear` thereof.

It is the purpose of 'this invention to provide improved means for this purpose which can be readily, quickly and conveniently applied to the engine and removed therefrom and which are reliably held in place and not liable to get out of order when in use.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical cross section of an explosion engine showing one of its valves `and the loperating mechanism therefor Sliding vertically in the upper and lower' guidesvare the upper .and lower sections G, T of a divided valve stem which are arranged to abut at their opposing ends. On the upper end of the upper valvestem section is arranged a valve 8 which 1s adapted to open and close saidy ort. This valve may be either the gas in et or the exhaust valve of an explosion engine or it may be embodied in other kinds of engines or machines where similar conditions exist. -Engaging with the lower end of the lower valve stem section is a rotatable cam 9 which is mounted on an operating shaft 10. When the high part of this cam engages with' the valve stem the latter together with the valve is raised and the valve is opened.

11 represents a spiral valve spring sur- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

Application filed February 12, 1912. Serial No. 677,206.

rounding the .upper section of the valve stem and. `bearing at its upper end against the lower end of the lupper guide while its lower end engages with a collar or shoulder 12 on the yupper valve stem section. When the cam presents its low part to thev valve stem the latter and the `valve are depressed by the valve spring and the valve is closed. At its lower end the upper valve stem guide is provided with an annular recess 13 around the valve stem which opens downwardly. At itsupper end the lower valve stem guide is reduced so as to form, an annular upwardly facing shoulder la.

Arranged between the upper and lower guides is a tubular housing or casing which is preferably divided lengthwise into two like longitudinal sections 15, 15, the upper end of this housing being preferably cylindrical and of comparatively large diameter and the lower end also ofV cylindrical forni but yof small diameter and connected by a downwardly tapering intermediate part with said upper end. lVhile separated the two sections of the housing are applied to the guides on opposite sides thereof so as to inclose the valvey toward each other so that they engage with the reduced upper end of the lower guide and rest on the shoulder 1l thereof. The

housing `sections are then held in this position by means of a locking collar 16 which surrounds the lower guide and is slipped upwardly so as to inclose the lower ends of the housing sections which together are of cylindrical form. The locking sleeve is yieldingly held in this position by a retaining spring 17 surrounding the lower guide and the locking sleeve and bearing at its lower end against a shoulder' 19 formed `on the adjacent part of the ybase or other support while its upper end bears against" an external annular shoulder or flange 18 arranged at the upper end of the locking sleeve The upward movement of the lock\ ing sleeve under the actionof the retaining spring is limited by engagement of the conical or tapering intermediate p art of the housing. While the locking sleeve is thus elevated into its upper operative position the retaining spring does not carry the weight of the housing inasmuch as the latteris supported solely by the shoulder'lfl of the lower guide and the retaining spring merely serves to hold the locking sleeve in its operative position. When the locking sleeve is depressed below the lower end of the housing sections the latter can be moved freely toward and from the lower guide.

ln order to permit of using bot-li hands when applying the housing sections to or removing the same from the' guides means are provided for holding the locking sleeve in its depressed inoperative posit-ion when required. The preferred means for this purpose comprises a horizontal slot, notch or groove 2O Aformed on one side of the periphery of the lower guide and below its. shoulder 14 and a retaining key or pin 21 adapted to be placed in said slot after the locking sleeve has been depressed, whereby the latter will be pressed at its up er end against the key by the retaining spring and thus prevented Jfrom rising, as shown ii Fig. 2.

My improved housing for valve stem does not disturb the valve spring or other parts of the engine and can be as readily applic( to or removed from the engine when the` same is running as when the same is standing still, which is important as this permit: the operator to inspectI the valve springs without stopping the engine. There are no parts in this fixture which are liable to be-A come loose or rattle -due to the constant vibration of the engine ,`,on the contrary, all the parts are held tight against one another by the retaining spring so that-all possi- ,bilitv of noise or looseness is eliminated.

I claim as my invention: l l. The combination of a valve Ichamber having a port, an upper valve stem guide and an annular recess around the outer end port, a cam engaging the lower end of said stem i'or opening the valve, a spring surrounding the stein between said guides and operatingto close said valve, a tubular housing inclosiiig said spring and divided lengthwise to [forni longitudinal sect-ions, said housing sections being engaged at their upper ends with the recess of the upper guide and their lower ends engaging with the' outer side of said lower guide, and a longitudinally movable locking sleeve en'- gagiiigwit-h the outer side of said housing` sections at the lower ends thereof.

2. The combination of a valve chamber gaging the" lower end of sai having a port, an upper valve stem guide and an annular recess around the outer end of said upper guide, a lower valve stein guide provided with an external annular sliding in said guides and provided at it.t shoulder which yfaces upwardly, a valve stem upper end wit-h a valve which is adapted to-open and close said port, a cam engaging the lower end of said stem for opening the valve, a spring surrounding the stem be tween said guides and operating to close said valve, a tubular housing inc-losing sait' spring and divided lengthwise to form lon-- gitu-dinal sections, said housing sections being engaged at their upper ends with the recess of the upper guide and their lower ends engaging with the shoul-der on the outer side of'said lower guide, and a longitudinally movable locking sleeve engaging with the outer side of said housing sections at the lower ends thereof.

3. The combination of a valve chamber having a port, an upper valve stem guidel and an annular recess around the outer end of said upper guide, a lower valve stem guide provided with an external annular shoulder which faces upwardly, a Valve stem sliding in, said guides and provided at its upper end with a valve which is adapted to open and close said port, a cain' engaging the lower end o f said stem for opening the.' valveg'a spring surrounding the stem between said guides and operating to close said valve,va tubular housing inclosing said spring and divided lengthwise to form longitudinal sections, said housing sections being engaged at their upper ends with the recess ofthe upper guide and their lower ends engaging with the shoulder on the outer side of said lower guide, a longitudinally movable locking sleeve engaging with the outer side ofsaid housing sect-ions at the lower ends thereof, and a spring operating to hold said sleeve yieldingly in its elevated posit-ion in engagement with said housing sections. f

4."The combination of a valve chamber having a port, an upper valve stem guide and an annular recess around the outer end of saidl upper guide, a lower valve steril guide provided with an, external annular shoulder ywhich faces upwardly, a valve stem sliding insaid guides.` and provided at its upper end with a valve which is adapt` ed to open yandclose said ort, a cam end) stemfor opening the valve, a spring surrounding the stem between said `guides and operating to close said valve, a tubular housing inclosing said spring and divided lengthwise 't-oform longitudinal sections, said housing sections being engagedat their upper ends with the recess of the upperfguide and `their .lower ends engaging with the shoulder on the outer side of said lower guide, a longitudinally movable locking sleeve engaging with the outer side of sald housing sections at the lower ends thereof, a spring operating to hold said sleeve yieldingly in its elevated posit-ion in engagement with said housing sections, and means for holding said locking sleeve yieldingly in its lowered inoperative position.

`5. The combinat-ionof a valve chamber having a port, an upper valve stem guide and an annular recess around the outer end of said upper guide, aV lower valve stent guide provided with an external annularshoulder which faces upwardly, a valve stem sliding in said guides and provided at its upper end with a valve which is adapt ed to open and close said ort, a cam engaging the lower end of sai stem for open-. ing the valve, a sprlng surrounding the stem between said guides and operating to close said valve, a tubular housin inclosing said spring and divided lengthwise to form longitl'idi'naV sections, said housing sections being engaged at their upper ends with the recess of the upper guide and their lower ends engaging with the shoulder on the outer side of said lower guide, a longitudi* ynally movable locking sleeve engaging with the outer side of said housingsections at the lower ends thereof, a spring operating to hold said sleeve Ayieldingly in its elevated position in engagement with said housing sections, ,and means `for holding said lockin sleeve yieldingly in its lowered inoperative position comprising a retaining key adapted to engage with a transverse slot in the exterior of said lower guide and with the upper edge of said locking sleeve.

Witness my hand this 7th day of February, 1912. Y WILLIAM E. BLAIR..

Witnesses:

L. A. FISCHER, A. F. DoHN. 

